Tiny house almost doubles in width at the push of a button

Tiny house builders walk a tightrope: make a home too large and it'll be tricky – or even illegal without a special permit – to tow it on a public road, while too small and the result is a cramped shoebox. Canada's Zero Squared aims to offer the best of both worlds with a tiny house that expands in width at the push of a button to offer more living space when parked.

It's not actually built yet, but the Aurora tiny house will be based on a 26 ft (7.9 m) double axle trailer and comprise a relatively spacious maximum floorspace of 337 sq ft (31 sq m). This is thanks to its RV-like slide-out system, which, like the Tiny Idahomes model we covered recently, is waterproof, and moves with electric motors. In all, the home expands in width from 8.6 ft (2.6 m) to 15.1 ft (4.6 m).

Inside, the Aurora will be arranged on one floor, except for a small storage loft area accessible via ladder. The layout includes a dining area with seating for up to four, a kitchenette, small lounge, and a bathroom with shower and toilet. In addition, an office space reveals a Murphy-style bed that can be pulled-down to serve as a bedroom.

The tiny house will weigh roughly 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) and be clad in smartboard siding, while the roof will be corrugated metal and the walls will be painted wood pine.

The walls and roof will feature structural insulated panels (SIPs) with an R-rating of R-26 and R-42, respectively. Heating and cooling will come from a Mini-Split air-conditioning system, and hot water will be provided by a tankless hot water.

While it will get its electricity from a standard RV-style hookup, Zero Squared offers off-grid options at cost, including a solar power package and a composting toilet.

The Aurora tiny house is available for pre-order now – to be clear, the images shown are renders and not the final build – and the firm plans on building a show model soon. Zero Squared's parent company, the Westwind Design Group also encourages people to come and tour the facility in which they're being made and meet the team involved.